Image source: topwar.ru
The number of P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft assembled by Boeing has reached 150 units, another aircraft rolled off the company's assembly line and took to the air over Puget Sound in Washington State.
The new "jubilee" P-8A Poseidon will go to serve in the US Navy with a deployment at the Patuxent River Naval Aviation Base (Maryland). The aircraft will be part of the 1st Test and evaluation Squadron of the US Navy. Before being handed over to the military, he will pass the necessary tests.
The transfer of the 100th P-8A Poseidon aircraft to the US Navy became known in May 2020. At that time, it was reported that the American fleet is armed with 94 anti-submarine aircraft P-8A Poseidon, carrying operational duty in various regions of the world, another 6 aircraft are used as test aircraft to test various novelties. To date, the US Navy has 112 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, 12 units have been delivered to Australia and India, 9 are in service with the Royal Navy of Great Britain and 5 more have gone to Norway.
The P-8A Poseidon is a new generation anti—submarine patrol aircraft based on the Boeing 737-800 passenger liner. The aircraft is equipped with AN AN/APS-137D(V)5 airborne radar and AN/APY-10 electronic reconnaissance system. The internal armament compartment houses sonar buoys designed to detect submarines at great depths, free-falling and depth charges, as well as Mark 54 torpedoes. Sidewinder air-to-air missiles (designed for the aircraft's own protection) and Harpoon anti-ship missiles can also be mounted on the external pylons of the aircraft.
In 2020, it was reported that the US Navy plans to rearm the P-8A Poseidon. The aircraft was planned to be armed with the LRASM missile defense system, JDAM smart bombs, Quickstrike bottom mines, the GBU-39 guided precision bomb, the BRU-55 bomb holder and the MALD decoy missile to protect the aircraft from anti-aircraft systems.
